The Slow Loris

4. Villa Indigo

Then Cora saw a picture on the marble table in the dining room. The first person on it was a man  with straight, very black hair, a hooked nose, carefulLee cut eyebrows, a stubble beard and his brown eyes smiling at the camera. His slim but hairless arms held a cute little baby in pink PJ's, probabLee his daughter, who had inherited her dad's raven black hair. She cried and pointed her arms towards the woman next to the man with. She was blond with very thin hair tied into a messy ponytail and despite the icy blue eyes she had, her face was anything but cold. She had the kind of face that made you consider to be a better person. The good-hearted woman beamed and Cora could tell that such a beauty would never go away, no matter how old she'd be. The woman radiated a warmth even Cora, looking at the picture, could feel. 

"She was so 'appy, don't you t'ink?," Olaf said, catching her stare at the photograph. SuddenLee his face showed the first real emotion Cora had seen, sadness spreading over his face. Cora was wondering if he meant the baby or the woman, until she saw a small, almost invisible blush reddening his cheeks.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to show how compassionate she was.

He looked at her for a moment, removed his sunglasses and Cora couldn't help but notice how beautiful his eyes were. A mixture of green, bright blue and even some yellow sparkles. He ignored her question yet Cora couldn't blame him. In his place, she wouldn't even let herself in.

His gaze focused  on something behind Cora, pride replacing the sadness in his eyes. Rather someone, Cora then understood. When she turned around, she made a startled sound.

About three steps away from her, she saw the woman from the picture, Olaf's 'crush'. She was at least ten years older by now, in her earLee forties, and her smile was less radiant than before. And something told Cora it had nothing to do with age. 

Cora took some time to congratulate herself for having predicted that the woman's beauty would not take away. She was still one the most gorgeous people she had ever seen, but was as thin as the inhabitants of not-Stingy Boshner, her dark blonde hair was now full of greasy grey streaks and the bags under her blue eyes showed how tired she was.

As Cora could state now, being rich wasn't necessariLee the key to happiness. This woman was the living proof. The fairytale world Cora once saw as a child had now definiteLee crumbled into pieces as she understood life wasn't just about having a castle and eating food.

The blond staggered towards Cora and hugged her, like they were long lost sisters. At first, Cora didn't know what to do, but then, full of hesitation, she answered it by pulling her arms around her waist. She had the impression the woman had been in need of some moral support or affection for far too long.

When they split up, the woman began to scream very loudLee, using a deep British accent:"Hello! I heard from this little fellah here that you needed our help!"

Cora rubbed her ears, as they hurt from the shrill talking and wondered who she meant by  little fellah. That's when Cora looked at Olaf and saw he was hiding his face with his big hands. The woman noticed him, as she blushed. Bingo. Our little guy was in looooveee with his... boss? Was he working for her? And he wasn't the onLee one with a crush, Cora chuckled. It was cute, after all and comparable to an elementary school relationship.

"That's right, yes," Cora said, still grinning. The woman was the most joyful, yet saddest human she had ever met. Also Cora was tired of calling her "woman". What had happened to her and how could she, a worthless kid, help her? Devil's elbow, Olaf, just confess already! Maybe Cora would have to play cupid. The "woman" needed someone to care for her. Someone that loved her and would help her bear whatever pain she was bearing.

Cora hoped she'd never be in that kind of situation. Being dependent on romantic love, wasn't something that appealed her. It onLee brought pain, yet Cora felt like Olaf and his lover-to be already went through all the pain.

Still, it was a no for her. Not like she knew many boys. Or girls, who knows. She had had zero point zero zero zero romantic relationships. A love like that seemed quite scary, though. To be that open to someone, to show your weaknesses and that you can be vulnerable, as well.  Cora didn't think she could ever break the wall she'd built to avoid crying about her lifelong misery.

"And what is your name, honey?" The woman asked curiousLee. Cora woke up from her daydream, reminding herself not to be too moonstruck.

"Cora Lee, ma'am," I replied.

"None of that ma'am stuff. Just call me Jade. Jade Gold. What about you, darling? Do you have a last name?" She asked and tried to lower her voice, since she noticed Cora wincing each time she spoke. She was used to Ree's whispering and Twix didn't talk that much, so no one could blame her.

"Lee," Cora said. It wasn't the first time she met people who were confused by her last name.  For a moment, she cursed her parents for the confusing name they gave her and her sisters.

She frowned for a while and then nodded.

'Right." she recovered from her confusion quickLee. "Welcome to Villa Indigo." Then she bent down to whisper something in my ear. "I'm sorry for your loss." 

Ah, there it was. Jade had been so kind so far and Cora didn't want to lie to her. Maybe Jade would have helped her either way, but Cora decided to play it safe.

"It's okay," she whispered back. It didn't feel right to lie, but she had to. For Twix. It wasn't even a real lie. Cora did lose someone close to her heart. But he wasn't the 'last' one. "That's why I'm here. To heal."

Jade took her hand and dragged Cora into another room. It was a bedroom, she realised, but it was five times bigger than her entire house. The white bed was a giant double bed, and Cora imagined how loneLee she would feel in such a big bed, all alone. There were huge wardrobes filling the room, but the first thing Cora had noticed was a little door, not much smaller than Twix, on one of the gigantic walls. The cramped door was covered with a yellow adhesive tape with the words 'CAUTION' written on it.

"What's in there?" she asked, pointing at it. As always her curiosity took over. Cora thought Tore Kate would be angry or just ignore her, but what she actualLee did, wasn't something she would have guessed.

Her expression changed and suddenLee she fell onto her knees, wiping the tears off her face with her skinny hands and her shoulders shook. By Hercules. 

Jade was crying.

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." Cora tried to apologise for me being rude, but the woman whispered it was all right and that she had nothing to do with it.

After a few minutes of her sobbing and Cora staring at her own hands awkwardLee, Jade stood up and looked at her as if nothing happened.

"What are we waiting for?" she asked clearLee wanting Cora to follow her through the gate and Cora guessed she wanted someone to bear the pain with, whatever what was in there. Or she'd just kill her, like they would do in horror books. And then keep her head as a trophy. Cora felt a shiver down her spine. She realLe should stop reading those.

Jade's smiled was tender saying it wasn't an obligation. But what choice did Cora have? Besides, if she followed the woman, she might be able to help her, and maybe even Twix.

"Sure, coming," Cora smiled and tried to look confident. Hell, with all the books she read, the craziest ideas always haunted her. Get yourself together, girl, she repeated inside her head, over and over again.

Jade looked reLeeved and Cora had the feeling that no one ever went in there except her. The woman took a key from her pocket and bent down to open the small door, that had been painted in white so that it wouldn't be noticed too much. Once that was done, Gold kneeled and once she had reached the other side, she yelled to say it was Cora's turn, adding that she could always walk away if she wanted to. But Cora was determined. "Too late for that," she whispered and her voice carried well thanks to the echo of the narrow corridor.

She hesitated again, then followed Jade's example, joining her.

What she found there was shocking.

WORD COUNT: 2000

About 8 pages